Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-26

of that day showed us to be due north OF
Juan Fernandez $50 miles. Our ship was
the Homeward, of New Bedford, Capt
| Samuel Clayton master and we had been
out fourtee en- months and were in good
luck. The whale sighted on this after
noon was the first spout seen for three
days. He broke water within half mile
of the ship, remained on the surface for
three or four minutes and then went
down again amidst great smother of
foam. As he went down he '1sbtailed''
for a moment, and by this sign we knew
that other whales were in the vicinity.
''Lobtailing'' is when the big fish slaps
the water right and left with his
fukes or tail, and whalers have always
commended that it is a signal to other
whales to look out for danger. The echo
of his blows came down to US from wind
ward very distinctly as We pied into the
boats and lowered away. There were
three boats of US and mine not only got
away first, but continued to lead, al
though I could hear the captain who was
a few yards behind me, calling to his
men:
eff you love me, pull Break them
L
selves overboard!"
When we had pulled a mile to wind
ward of the ship we rested on our oars
to wait for the whale to come up agaia,
and the boats spread out over consider
able water to watch. Whales always feed
or run to windward. 1t is but rare that
one will run away from the wind in any
emergency. We had gone half a mile be-
yynr his ,-~lA L. e
him to come up anywhere IN our neigh
borhood. He did come, after a time,
leaping two-t thirds of his length out of
water, and there was cry of astonish
ment from every boat. 1 was in the
whaling business for nineteen years, and
I'm telling you that was the biggest one
| ever set eyes on. He was a full hun
dred feet long and covered with barnacles
and slime: and it was plain enough that
we had discovered an old resident ssof the
deep. He had hardly fallen back into
the water when the three boats started
for him. There would have been a har-
poon into him if he had taken time to
dive or sound, but he played Us trick.
In some way which naturalists have never
been able to account for a whale can sink
himself like ton of ballast. This fellow
just went right out of sight in five seconds
leaving scarce ripple on the surface to
prove that he had been in view. Some
of the boats ran over the spot before
their Roadway was checked
Well, it was spread out and wait again,
but In ten minutes he came up between
US and the ship equidistant. His head
was hardly out of water when we saw that
he was in rage. He began rolling and
thrashing and slapping the water, and
the boats had scarcely started for
him when he started for the
ship. There was grOan of dis
pair from every boat, for we knew by the
way he held his head and the slap of his
hukes that he meant mischief. We pulled
for our lives, hoping to overtake him
but the nearest boat was a quarter of a
mile behind him when he struck the
Homeyard at full tilt. We saw her heel
over as if she would go on her beam ends
and plenty heard the frightened cries of
the men aboard. The whale backed off
after the blow, seeming bent on striking
another, but changed his mind after a
moment and sunk out Of sight so be seen
no more.
The ship had received a blow which
started the butts of a dozen planks, and
she was filling with water as we reached
her. We had less thai twenty minutes
in which to provision the boats before
she sank out of sight and we were alone
on the ocean. She went down so easily,
and the sea was SO calm, that scarcely a
relic of her came to the surface. Moth
ing like sail was in sight, and under the
captains orders we bore away for the
island 1 have mensioned. We should
doubtless have made it safely enough,
the weather being fine, but just at dark we
were picked up by an English bark and
carried into Valparaiso.